The Essenes were a Jewish religious sect that flourished from the 2nd century BCE to the 1st century CE.

They were opposed to the Pharisees and Saducees. They are discussed in detail by Josephus and Philo Judaeus. Many scholars believe that the community at Qumran that allegedly produced the Dead Sea Scrolls was an offshoot of the Essenes; however, this theory has been disputed by Norman Golb and other scholars.